


As the Leaves Fall

by Rose_of_Pollux



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 08:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12128415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: One autumn evening, Illya takes a moment to reflect on things.





	As the Leaves Fall

Illya was quiet as he stood silently, observing the forest around him. Night was falling, and the sky had already turned dark blue. An autumn breeze whipped around him, carrying the fallen leaves past him; Illya didn’t even wince, for his turtleneck afforded him a shield from the wind. Somewhere, in a nearby tree, an owl hooted, preparing for her nightly hunt.

Illya was content with this scene; since his youngest days, he knew how to appreciate the bliss of solitude. For a long time, he had been forced to learn how to depend on himself; it was done out of necessity, for his associations rarely lasted that long, and so he had found it pointless to open up to others.

This resulted in people finding him standoffish and not bothering to get him to try to open up. And so, the Ice Prince was born—an epithet given by colleagues wherever Illya went. Rather than fight it, Illya embraced it; people exhausted him, as he found most of them superficial and insincere.

Illya had been prepared to go through the rest of his life alone, even after joining U.N.C.L.E.; though he had an excellent record at the Berlin office, he couldn’t seem to keep a partner. And even among the rest of the staff, no one bothered to get to know him on a personal level.

But then he had been reassigned to New York—and met the man who came barreling into his life like a runaway train.

“Illya? Ah, there you are!”

 _And there_ he _is now_ … Illya thought, jolted from his thoughts as Napoleon now headed towards him, beaming.

“I got the fire started back in the cabin,” Napoleon said. “And I’ve got all the fish I caught roasting on it. There was some stuff in the spice rack to play around with—we eat well tonight, Tovarisch!”

“No one makes seasoned, roasted fish quite like you,” Illya said, in approval. “How long do you think it’ll be?”

“Well, if you want it to turn out perfectly, then there is a bit of a wait,” Napoleon admitted. “I just wanted you inside and warmed up by the fire.”

“I’m fine in this weather, Napoleon; I find it quite pleasant, actually,” Illya said. “Compared to the winters I’ve seen, autumn here is the perfect weather.”

Napoleon looked a little chilly and didn’t seem inclined to agree, but he smiled at Illya, clearly pleased that Illya was content.

“I guess I can wait out here and enjoy the evening, too,” he said, drawing an arm around Illya. “Well, for a little while, anyway—I do need to check on the fish.”

Illya didn’t respond right away; he paused for a moment to enjoy his partner’s arm around him, grateful that, at last, he had someone in his life he could open up to—someone who understood and loved him.

After his arrival in New York, Illya had initially thought that Napoleon’s kindness towards him was customary treatment for a new partner, but as the weeks went on, it suddenly dawned on Illya that Napoleon’s actions and words were sincere. Napoleon kept going out of his way to invite Illya to places, to have meals with him, and even spend downtime with him, and it was soon impossible to ignore the fond look in Napoleon’s eyes whenever they were together. Illya certainly couldn’t figure out what exactly Napoleon saw in him, but he soon realized just how much he had wanted and missed having someone in his life.

As for Napoleon, despite the fact that he was extremely likeable and could make friends anywhere he went, he opted to spend as much time with Illya as he could. He genuinely enjoyed and appreciated Illya’s company, and Illya was grateful that Napoleon always sought to include him in everything, whether or not Illya actually ended up going.

That was the other thing that Illya appreciated in his partner; Napoleon respected that Illya was an introvert and would hardly ever push him into a situation where Illya did not want to be there.

And tonight was no exception, even in the middle of nowhere. A few minutes later, Napoleon placed a hand on Illya’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go and heading back towards the cabin.

“I’ll call you when dinner is ready,” he said.

“Wait…” Illya said. “I’ll go with you.”

“Are you sure? It will be a while longer,” Napoleon reminded him. “You just said how much you enjoy these autumn nights.”

“ _Da_ , I am sure,” Illya said, walking beside him now. “The autumn night is a comfortable host, but you are much more fun to talk to.”

Illya had changed, too, he realized. He, who used to shy away from all conversation, now welcomed the chance to converse with Napoleon. Napoleon was easy and enjoyable to talk to—and he had soon come to realize that he preferred Napoleon’s company over enjoying the bliss of solitude.

And as they chatted together while Napoleon worked on the roasted fish, Illya blissfully realized just how content he was with his life.

It was more than just the fact that Napoleon treated him with kindness and was easy to get along with and talk to.

He loved Napoleon. And Napoleon loved him.

He wrapped his arms around Napoleon and gently kissed him.

“What was that for?” Napoleon asked, amused. “I’m not even wearing a ‘kiss the cook’ apron.”

“I do not need an apron telling me what to do,” Illya scoffed. “I like to think these things for myself.”

“Even so, you might want to taste the fish first before you start giving kisses out,” Napoleon teased. “Who knows, I might have fallen flat this time—it has been known to happen, after all.”

“I highly doubt that; you have never given me reason to doubt your culinary skills,” Illya said.

He kissed Napoleon again, and his partner arched his eyebrows in pleasant surprise at the second show of affection.

“I don’t know what this autumn air is doing to you, but I think I like it,” Napoleon said, bluntly.

He cast a glance at the fish to make sure it was roasting properly before turning back to Illya and returning both the embrace and the kiss. 

“I am glad that I have you, _Dorogoy_ ,” Illya whispered, between kisses.

“Why, because you’ve got a lover _and_ a live-in chef for the price of one?” Napoleon teased.

“Because I have _you_.”

He didn’t elaborate, but, seeing the warm look on Napoleon’s face, it was clear he didn’t need to.

“Likewise, Illya,” Napoleon said. “Likewise.”


End file.
